Paparazzi Stakeouts?: The Top Los Angeles Celebrity Hotspots

by Luiza Oleszczuk

04.22.2009

While you might snort at your coworker reading People Magazine on a lunch break and watching E! everyday of the week, you can’t kid us. If you live in LA, you cannot be indifferent to the suffocating presence of the ultra-hot and ultra-annoying celebs. Besides, where the starlets are, be sure to find the sexiest specimen of the city’s nightlife. For no other reason (yeah, right), behold Clubplanet’s ultimate guide to Los Angeles’ top nightclubs and lounges that turned even more exclusive thanks to some of their paparazzi-followed patrons.

Opera is the Siamese twin of Crimson, a more live-music-oriented hangout next door. If sipping fancy cocktails in an elevated atmosphere isn’t your gig, let your hair down during one of the many concerts. Otherwise, enjoy the dim, swanky décor and well-dressed and good-looking crowd of Los Angeles nightlife adventurers who don’t back away from the extensive line by the door.

Known for turning down Lindsay Lohan and her mom (!) during their recent nightlife spree, Villa, a dual level top nightlife hotspot attracts crowds of Los Angeles scenesters with its exclusivity and A-list guest list. Located in the legendary space of Sloan—one of the early speakeasies, Villa features a stucco façade, with dark wood and marble floors, plush banquettes and canapés, as well as a long (and well-stocked) marble-top bar and a fancy centerpiece of a golden globe. All that is meant to resemble a library of the old-rich, with hundreds of books stacked on wall shelves. However, we guarantee that once you plunge into that dark space, you’ll think of better things than reading.

This candy-colored nightlife hotspot attracts fashion-conscious women on the same rule as multi-colored eye shadow compacts. Among the sleek crowd clad in Gucci dresses and Prada bags, you might spot famous beauties like Kate Beckinsale and the ever-present-in-nightlife (though no one really knows why) Kardashian sisters, easily putting it on our list of celeb hotspots in LA.

Low black-leather chairs and small black tables bathed in red light create a seductive ambience of Apple Lounge— which attracts those who want to be seen only by a carefully selected minority. This exclusive nightlife centerpiece of Los Angeles joins the loungy feel of intimate booths with a clubby element of the dance floor and a live DJ, attracting A-listers in the city and coming in on our list of top celeb hotspots in LA.

Pass the famous entrance of the Green Door lounge, and you will follow the lead of multiple high-volume celebs, such as—to name two—Prince or Pink. You better know the art of dropping names though, as this top club is a social fortress and ranks high on our list of celeb hotspots in LA. The secession-meets-Belle-Époque décor leans towards an effect of a haunted manor, with large mirrors plus walls and ceilings covered deliberately in big water leaks. The antique furniture and golden chandeliers will make you feel truly aristocratic, and no wonder that even the celebs feel attracted to that mood.

Right off the bat, we should let you know that the hottest Desperate Housewife, Eva Longoria, owns this place and when there’s a venue owned by a celebrity, then you can bet that their celebrity friends will more than likely stop by for a bite. The Latin American cuisine here goes over well with the customers, and once the sun sets, this place turns into one of the most intimate and romantic nightlife venues in the city. While you’re enjoying dishes like their ceviche sampler or their infamous tacos, don’t be surprised if Lauren Conrad or Eva Mendes are doing the same at the table next to you.

Exclusivity exudes from Kress nightclub in a way visible not only through the long line of fashionably dressed young party animals. The contemporary décor of five floors of multiple sleek rooms, a dim downstairs lounge and plush-patted, top-notch V.I.P. rooms attract a Hollywood crowd that’s worth splurging on three-to-four-digits bottle service and worth putting it on our list as a top celeb hotspot in LA.

This place is true nightlife royalty, making its name extremely suitable. More of a restaurant/lounge than a bar, on weekend nights this is one of the best places to grab a drink. The upholstered walls and large banquettes give it the old-school hotel lobby feel, but you’re quickly snapped back into reality when the sounds of the Ting Tings fill up the room and good-looking twenty-somethings roam around dancing with drinks in hand. Also a definitely celebrity hotspot in Los Angeles, some Crown Bar frequent visitors include Tom Cruise, Keanu Reeves, and just about anyone who has been on ‘The Hills.’

Ecco Nightclub sets the standards for Los Angeles scenesters with its strict code of nightlife excellence. Party junkies form Paris Hilton to Jamie Foxx and Jeremy Piven are driven in by the dark swank of the décor, large space and a mind-blasting quality of the sound system, which is why it’s a celeb hotspot. Be prepared to spend some time in front of this glitzy nightclub first. Still, the personality-studded dance floor inside is worth the longest wait.

Another swanky brainchild of the first nightlife designer of California—Dodd Mitchell, My House joins the posh smell of the green stuff with creativity and ambience. Mitchell redesigned a multi-million-dollar house for the purpose of the scene-hungry LA socialites and celebrities, creating the best lounge for rich and famous. 10,000 square feet of dim space is filled with regular, domestically looking furniture bringing to mind MTV Cribs—from the large, gloomy bed adorned with golden skulls, to the imitation of a regular, house kitchen, making it a definite celebrity hotspot in LA.